Southern Vision Alliance is the largest social justice intermediary in the South. Social justice organizations from Virginia to Texas have attended our annual gatherings and reached out to SVA for fiscal sponsorship, rapid response/seed grants, and other forms of movement support.
SVA’s team has emerged as a thought leader for South-based social justice organizations and movements. Our team members have presented at statewide, regional, and national conferences and meetings, where we have raised the perspectives of movement-building in the South. Here are some examples.
Grantmakers for Southern Progress Convening in Little Rock, AR (October 14 – 16, 2025)
SVA’s Power-Building and Queer Mobilization Fund (QMF) team members Wesley, Everett, Roxane, and Penelope presented in a session titled “Moving Rapid Resources in a Time of Political Backlash – Tools for Urgent Grantmaking.” This session explored challenges of resourcing movements in hostile contexts and strategies for funders to build stronger, more resilient ecosystems for economic, racial, environmental, and gender justice.
SVA’s Development Director, Manzoor, co-presented in a session titled “Building Southern Solidarity Through Crisis and Beyond.” This session included presentations from Monica Hernandez of Southeast Immigrant Rights Network, Yaquelin Lopez of Women Working Together, and Michael Jung of Four Freedoms Fund on topics of building cross-community solidarity for immigrant rights and developing infrastructure to keep our folks safe.
Penelope French presenting at a session titled “Moving Rapid Resources in a Time of Political Backlash”
CHANGE Unity Summit in Minneapolis, MN (October 27 – 30, 2025)
SVA co-organized a breakout session at the Change Unity Summit titled “Funding the South.” Other partners from the South (Highlander, Project South, Southern Power Fund, Partnership Fund, Piece-by-Piece Strategies, and others) attended the breakout, which reflected on challenges faced by the South. The US South has the largest population (38%) out of the four regions (Northeast, Midwest, West Coast as the other three regions), has the highest Black (56%) and low-income population (approximately 55%), witnesses most extreme racist/anti-labor/anti-immigrant/anti-LGBTQIA attacks that are often exported to the whole country. The South also has strong social justice movements and the historic Black Freedom Movement. Yet, the big philanthropy often sees the South as the “lost cause” and consequently, this region receives the smallest philanthropic dollar amount of all the four regions. Participants explored strategies for collaborative fundraising in order to increase funding in the South.
Opening session at the 2025 CHANGE Unity Summit in Minneapolis, MN. October 2025.
National Network of Fiscal Sponsors in Phoenix, AZ (November 4 – 7, 2025)
SVA participated in NNFS’s annual convening, which provides a space for fiscal sponsors across the country to connect, reflect on best practices, and assess current conditions in the field. This year’s conference had a special focus on the attacks facing the fiscal sponsorship sector as a whole and building a strong network in response.
BluePrint NC and SVA Convergence in Asheville, NC (November 11 – 14, 2025)
SVA and BPNC Power Building team members hosted a Power-Building Cohort Meetup at the Asheville Convergence. This session included a discussion and assessment of the political landscape, and the challenges and opportunities of basebuilding and membership development in this period. Participants discussed various ways to build campaigns and move the needle on key issues, while studying the examples provided by local grassroots organizations.
Mrs. Joyce Johnson receiving an award at Asheville Convergence on November 11, 2025.
